"Protecting the institution"

Josh Marshall catches Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL) in a classic moment of saying up-is-down and black-is-white:

"You have to look at protecting the institution,” Rep. Rogers told the paper on Thursday. "I’m an attorney, and any attorney knows you can get an indictment with a ham sandwich. We’re trying to raise the standard, to make it so that you don’t allow what is purely a political indictment to make someone step aside from a leadership role."

Reeeeeaaaaally... so why did the Republicans insert that provision in their caucus in the first place back in 1994? The standards of indictment haven't exactly changed much since then... could it be because they wanted to look all pure and virtuous at the time, and then they pull it when it became an inconvenience?

Naw... you would have to be really cynical to think that...